Fantasy Baseball Closer Report Week 10: A.J. Puk is Back in Action
It’s been an eventful week for fantasy baseball managers monitoring the fantasy baseball closer market in the never-ending search for saves. Liam Hendriks is proof positive that you can’t keep a good man down. After beating cancer and being reinstated from the IL it took him just a little over a week to reclaim his role as closer and record his first save of the fantasy baseball season for the Chicago White Sox. Andres Munoz, who is one step away from closing out games for the Seattle Mariners, made his return this week after spending time on the IL. The Colorado Rockies have themselves a new closer and the Miami Marlins got their closer back from the IL. We’ll cover all the bullpen usage news that you need to know about and identify some middle relief pitchers who should be on your radar.
Unless otherwise noted the statistics quoted in this article are accurate as of Wednesday morning June 7, 2023.
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Colorado Rockies
The Rockies entered the preseason expecting Daniel Bard to be their primary closer, however he started the season on the IL due to anxiety. The Rockies turned to Pierce Johnson to close out their games and while he converted 11 of his 12 save chances and missed a ton of bats (12.3 K/9), his 6.56 ERA, 10.8 H/9 and 5.8 BB/9 left a lot to be desired. After watching Johnson blow a save opportunity against the Diamondbacks last Thursday the Rockies gave Justin Lawrence the chance to close out potential victories for them on Friday and Saturday and he recorded saves on consecutive days. Lawrence leads the Rockies with seven holds, and he has been one of the Rockies’ best relievers this season. Bard (1.04 ERA) has been very effective since being reinstated off the IL, but the Rockies have been reluctant to use him in save situations. While it would make sense for the Rockies to use Lawrence as their primary closer moving forward however if he continues to be successful, they may end up eventually using him as trade bait and there’s a good chance that he won’t be the closer on his potential new team.
Miami Marlins
After missing close to a month of the season due to left elbow nerve irritation A.J. Puk was finally activated from the IL on Tuesday. Before his injury, Puk had settled into a role as the Marlins’ closer, converting six of seven save chances. He missed plenty of bats (11.7 K/9) and demonstrated good control over his pitches (1.8 BB/9). Dylan Floro recorded six saves while Puk was sidelined but gave up at least three runs in three of his 11 appearances and pitched to a 9.00 ERA during that time. With Puk back, he’ll be a good resource for holds.
Middle Relievers Who Should Be On Your Radar
The following are a few relievers who provide good ratios, can be good resources for holds, and occasionally make multiple inning appearances. They might be worth streaming in place of mediocre starting pitchers:
Trevor Richards, Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have been using Richards as a middle reliever this season and he has occasionally made multi-inning appearances. Over his last 9.2 IP spanning seven appearances Richards has struck out 14 batters, walked just three and pitched to a 1.86 ERA. He’s held two games during that time frame.
Steven Okert, Miami Marlins
In his last 17 appearances spanning 14.1 IP, Okert has pitched to a 1.26 ERA, and he has struck out 25 batters while walking just four. He’s picked up two wins and three holds during that time span.
Scott McGough, Arizona Diamondbacks
Some fantasy managers and analysts speculated that McGough would have an opportunity to regularly close out games for the Diamondbacks this season but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case. He did record one save in his second appearance of the season, but from there he slumped a bit and the Diamondbacks primarily used him in the seventh and eighth innings. McGough has been on a roll of late and he hasn’t given up a run in his last nine appearances spanning 13 IP. During that time McGough has struck out 20 batters and he’s picked up four holds. Miguel Castro and Andrew Chafin have been utilized as co-closers this season, but McGough did collect 80 saves while pitching in Japan and he does have a potential path to saves should they be unavailable.
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Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.